Phase Behavior Studies

As hydrocarbons and gases move from the reservoir to surface production facilities, they pass through different stages or phases. Understanding the fluid behavior of the in-situ reservoir fluid is essential to anticipating current and future fluid behavior during enhanced oil recovery processes. Through phase behavior evaluations, TIORCO effectively improves the economics of flooding.

Improving the Economics of Flooding

TIORCO's reservoir engineers use phase behavior studies to rapidly and efficiently determine the optimum alkaline-surfactant-polymer (ASP) or surfactant-polymer (SP) formulations for crude oil and brine systems, including mobility control using polymers or foams. Phase behavior studies facilitate ultra-low interfacial tension (IFT) systems and allow early detection of emulsion tendencies that can lead to difficult emulsion formation that negatively affects economics of floods.

ASP systems designed by this methodology are tested by measuring the IFT with the spinning drop tensiometer and by conducting core floods to confirm oil recovery potential, adsorption and transport characteristics in reservoir core material.